Tucked away on an unremarkable street in central London is a chunk of oolite rock known as the London Stone. Said to date back to the founding of Roman London, the Stone is one of Britain’s most enigmatic and overlooked monuments.
A proverb states that “so long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish”. Like the ravens of the Tower of London, the Stone’s fate is tied to that of the city.
Historical sources from medieval times reference the Stone and its importance to Londoners, yet few people today have ever heard of it.
Highlighted Quote:
It is not sculpted, it is not aesthetically pleasing; it is a lump of rock.
Filmed in association with University of Wales’ Institute of Digital Learning (IDL), it examined the Gwent roots of the legendary British monarch of round table fame – both the real figure, who may have been a 5th or 6th century local warlord, and the mythical Arthur championed in countless folk tales.
Highlighted Quote:
"The Stonehenge bluestones clearly came from west Wales – I don’t hear any question about that. At the very least there’s that Welsh connection, and there could be more."
Who are we? The genetic make-up of the British people is a hotly contested subject in academic and political circles. Britain has a tumultuous history that includes Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Roman invasions, but what legacy of these settlers and invaders remains in the DNA of Brits today?
The BNP's Nick Griffin, who has recently gained a foothold in British politics, claimed recently to represent the "indiginous people" of Britain, comparing modern English, Scots, Irish and Welsh with the indiginous populations of North America and New Zealand.
Highlighted Quote:
Wave after wave of Europeans came to displace the native Britons
Caerwent is a small village in south Wales that's famous for its historical - particularly Roman - remains. It was founded as Venta Silurum by the Romans, and served as a market town and later - after some local governance was devolved to them - an administrative centre for the native Silurians.
While never quite as impressive as other Romano-British tribal capitals in Britain, it was a sizeable town in its day with a large marketplace, temple and high walls. Many of the walls still remain today. Historian John Newman described them as "easily the most impressive town defence to survive from Roman Britain, and... one of the most perfectly preserved in Northern Europe."
After the Romans left, Caerwent became the centre of the Kingdom of Gwent. Some have suggested that the town may have been where the legendary Camelot where the real King Arthur - a local warlord who led resistance against the invading Saxons - held his court.
Numerous excavations have taken place at Caerwent since the 19th century, making numerous large and small discoveries from throughout the town's history. The most recent excavation - in 2008 - was the subject of a Time Team broadcast in the UK in January 2009. It focused on the invesitgation of buildings including Roman shops and a villa.
Lodge Hill Fort is the site of an ancient hillfort, above Caerleon on the outskirts of the city of Newport, Wales. Speculation has it that it may once have been the site of Camelot - the castle of the legendary King Arthur.
It was built and occupied by early Welsh tribes. The warlike Silures were resident there around the time of the Roman invasion of the area. They put up a fierce resistance to the Romans, but the Silures and Lodge Hill were eventually subdued - either by force, or by persuasion.
It's been speculated that, after the Romans left, the fort may have been reoccupied by a local warlord who led resistance against a Saxon takeover of the area. This warlord may have been King Arthur, and Lodge Hill could have been the actual site of Camelot, although it's impossible to be sure.
Archaeological investigations of the fort site in the summer of 2000 were led by Dr Ray Howell from the University of Wales. Numerous small finds were made, and numerous layers of occupation were discovered. Lodge Hill featured in the University of Wales Institute of Digital Learning's video Reclaiming King Arthur, featuring Dr Howell.
Historian, Historical Archaeologist and Director of South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research (SWCHIR)
Dr Raymond Howell is a Welsh reader of History and Historical Archaeology at the University of Wales, Newport, and the Director of the South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research (SWCHIR). He specialises in research areas including social development of later Roman and sub Roman Britain, Iron Age settlement patterns in southeast Wales and aspects of tribal continuity in Wales. He has authored several books, articles and papers, including Searching For the Silures: An Iron Age Tribe in South-East Wales, which was
first published in 2006 and is set to be reprinted in 2010.
'Reclaiming King Arthur' - a video produced by the University of Wales, Newport, aims to bring to life the legend of King Arthur, by examining historic evidence and the literary tradition which points to Gwent as the home of this famous character as well as to introduce an international audience to the history of this South Wales site. In the video - available for all to see on the University's Instititue of Digital Learning website - Dr Ray Howell examines the relevance of King Arthur as most widely known through legend, myth, historical evidence, literature and the literary tradition which include explanation of how Caerleon in Newport can stake its claim to Arthur’s round table, following 200 years of Roman occupation and how the legend has inspired writers throughout the centuries since... .
Jeff Body, an expert in stone-work, demonstrates what it's like to craft Abbey Dulcote Stone, and make pieces inspired by the legend of King Arthur. Part of the Festival of British Archaeology 2009.
The fort comprises concentric layers of defenses: the centre was the main site of occupation and resistance, outwith it were three rings of ditches, an earthen rampart and a timber palisade. In a testament to the fortress's strength, despite many centuries of natural wear and tear, some of its defenses still remain relatively sturdy.
Badbury's site was crucial, since it lay where a pair of Roman roads crossed - those running from Dorchester, Old Sarum (Salisbury), Bath and Hamworthy (Poole). It may have been the site of a legendary battle later in its lifetime. Angles and Saxons invaded the area after the Romans pulled out around the 5th century AD. The monk Gildas wrote that they were stopped in their tracks, however, for many generations by a mysterious mighty warrior called "Arthur", one of whose' victories occured at "Mons Badonicus" (Mount Badon). Could this have been Badbury?
'Reclaiming King Arthur' - a video produced by the University of Wales, Newport, aims to bring to life the legend of King Arthur, by examining historic evidence and the literary tradition which points to Gwent as the home of this famous character as well as to introduce an international audience to the history of this South Wales site. In the video - 
